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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 1, 1915)
" "Ty" 'Ei"" The Gommoner; VOL. 15, NO. 10 2gfc fi-rp Ut if i w i Mr. Bryan in the South IN TEXAS tFrom Dallas News, Oct. 3, 1915. In talks devoid of any personal po litical referenco whatever, or any al lusion to his withdrawal from Pres ident Wilson's cabinet, William Jen nings Bryan spoke yesterday after noon at Hillsboro, last night at Dall as, and informally at intermediate towns during interurban stops, elo quently advancing his peaco ideals to enthusiastic audiences. This was Mr. Bryan's first visit to Dallas and Texas since liis retirement from tho cabinet. His appearance had been awaited with much interest and there had been some expectation of political developments. Both in pub lic and private talks tho visitor es chewed this subject, declining to dis cuss with interviewers tho possibility of his ever becoming a candidate for ofilco again. Mr. Bryan discussed the European war, tho false philosophy that made It possible, and voiced a fervent plea that America bo not stirred to that "preparedness"' which, he declared, "provokes and does not prevent war."1 In personal conversation tho former secretary of state said he made no reference to his resignation either in his speech or interviews be cause ho thought he has already made that matter sufficiently clear by form al statements issued shortly after the incident. He took occasion, how ever, in each speech, to pay specific and unstinted tribute to President Woodrow Wilson's handling of the peculiarly trying conditions of the last year and to congratulate the country upon having had such a man in tho presidential chair during this time. These utterances provoked long applause. Warm Welcome Everywhere The warmth of welcome shown at Dallas yesterday morning and again last night, tho rousing receptions all along tho interurban route between Dallas and Hillsboro, and the gather ing of more than 5,000 people at the Hill county fair cheering his peace arguments to tho echo brought un disguised satisfaction to tho distln ' guished visitor. Ho expressed his de ' light at being in Texas again and his regret at being unable to remain longer and meet more of his friends. Those who saw and heard him yes terday found "the Commoner" as elo quent, as powerful on the platform, as of yore, as fresh and vigorous in appearance as in former days with smile as broad, changing, upon occa sion, into the same tight-lined expres sion' of determination. "He's the same old Bill Bryan!" as if man yelled when the interurban was pulling out of Waxahachie. Mr. Bryan arrived in Galveston un announced. Only Colonel W. L. Moody had been appraised of his coming, and that moro were not turned away for lack of seating room was probably due to the fact that, so few knew of his presence in the city. The former secretary of state arrived at 9:40 o'clock yesterday morning and was met by Colonel Moody. Ho went immediately to the Moody resi dence, where he was a guest at lunch, and received several friends before going to the church to speak at 3 o'clock. Mr. Bryan left on the 6 o'clock interurban for Houston, where he spoke last night. In an interview before the address, Mr. Bryan, in speaking of tho pros pective loan by American financiers of $500,000,000 to the allies, said such a course is unwise. PEACE VIEWS APPLAUDED Staff Special to the Dallas News. Hillsboro, Texas, Oct. 2: As William Jennings Bryan stepped to the red, white and bluo. covered 'platform, fac ing the crowd that filled the Hill county fair grandstand, and crowded in all tho space about it, standing in the sun to hear his speech, a booming salute sounded in tho field behind. Half a dozen or moro rockets soared high aloft, exploding with a shell like roar. With each detonation, in stead of war's ruin and waste, there came from the fragments of casing up above, a parachute made of Amer ican flags, fluttering the national em blem, in the downward flight; to earth. This extraordinary apt and ingenious compliment affected Mr. Bryan vis ibly. He leaned far over the plat form, watching eagerly the course of each Star and Stripe parachute, emerging from the cloud of powder smoke and swaying bravely in the gentle afternoon breeze. When the last one had fluttered to the ground he turned to those upon the platform. "That is one of the finest things I have ever seen," he said simply. Other unique features character ized the Hillsboro reception. When tne special interurban car arrived from Dallas, Mr. Bryan was placed in an automobile beautifully decor ated with roses and white doves, typ ifying peace, of course, mounted upon tho windshield and radiator. Miss Mary Catherine Walter drove this "peace car" at the head of the pro cession that escorted Mr. Bryan to the Wear hotel. ADDRESSES BIG DALLAS DIENCE AU- prolonged storm of applause wlken he camo out on tho platform at 8r45 o'clock. General M. M. Crane introduced the speaker of the evening and con gratulated Dallas people in the peace that this country enjoys. Ho paid tribute to Mr. Bryan, calling him "tho greatest living orator in Amer ica," and referring to his continuous efforts on behalf oC peace. AT HOUSTON From tho Houston Post, Oct. 4. One of tho largest crowds that ever entered the city auditorium was on hand Sunday night to greet William Jennings Bryan, former secretary of state, and to listen to his address on "The Lessons of the War." Before the distinguished guest arrived the seats were all occupied and many peo ple crowded into tho aisles, on the stage and the vacant places in the building, while many others were turned away from the doors. Despite the intense warmth and at tendant discomfort the crowd listened with close attention to the remarks of tho gifted orator and applauded his logic or laughed when Mr. Bryan relied on some witticism to bring out a strong point. Especially was there much ap plause when towards the end of his speech ho vigorously denied the right of a handful of citizens to involve this nation in war by taking ships into the danger zone during the war. He did not say that the passengers had no right to go on such ships, but that they should not. Mr. Bryan spoke of tho propagan da that Is now on foot spreading tho doctrine of preparedness as a means' of preventing war. "I believe that if this country had been as, well pre pared when the war started as they now want us to be, our country would have been in this war long ago. The men who are preaching this doctrine are trying to confuse the issue. Paid Compliment to tho President "Think what trouble we would be in today if we had a 'jingo' in the White House, looking for an oppor tunity to get into trouble. At this time we have reason to be grateful that we have in the White House a man who loves peace and who is try ing to find a peaceful solution of ev ery problem." -a k i FAliSE PHILOSOPHY CAUSE OP i: WAR From tho Dallas News, Oct, 3. . j"The whole cause of the war in "which the nations of Europe have been struggling for moro than a year i based on the falso philosophy that might makes right." This statement was made by form er v Secretary of State William Jen nings Bryan in a stirring plea for p&a.ce at the First Presbyterian church yesterday afternoon. His sub ject was "The Causeless War." The church was packed from platform to ntrance and many were unable to obtain seats. For nearly two hours Mr'. Bryan spoke, and tho tense, quiet atmosphere of the place bore witness to the interest with which the audience followed every word of 'th address. Tuo speaker was intro " duced by Rev. Edward Stubblefield, pastor of tho First Baptist church. From the Dallas News, Oct. 3. Speaking under the auspices of the Dallas Press club, President M. W. Florer presiding, William Jennings Bryan addressed an attentive and frequently demonstrative audi ence at the Fair Park Coliseum last night. At first it was planned to have him talk at the city hall, but the ad vance reservation indicated a demand in advance of its capacity, and it be came necessary to secure the audi torium. Seated on the platform were Ant ing Mayor Otto H. Lang, Dr. and Mrs C. M. Rosser, J. W. Mahan, Dr. George Gilmour, M. H. Wolfe, Dr. E. H. Cary, John Davis, Judge E. B. Per kins, J. J. Collins, J. J. Simmons, Gil bert H. Irish, Colonel S. E. Moss, George A. Harmon, Congressman TTntI ton w. sumners, George McBlair, Dr S. P. Brooks o" Waco, John Jester! Wilford B. Smith, Mr. and Mrs. Ed ward T. Moore, George W. Owens Jr M. W. Florer, president Dallas Press club. Audience Welcomes Bryan The audience of 3,000 at the Col iseum wolcomfi'l Mr "no -,i. .. ojijrttu witn a PLEASED AT CITY'S CONDITION From the. Galveston News. After seeing Galveston by automo bile, former Secretary of State Wil liam Jennings Bryan, who came here to speak on "The Causeless War," declared that he was much surprised to find the damage from the Texas coast storm of August 16-17 so slight. "I am very much gratified," said Mr. Bryan "to find the damage done Galveston was really a great deal less than I had been led to believe from reading press reports. The seawall stood the test admirably, and the lact tnat so rew frame houses were damaged shows that the injury was much less than Information contained in the papers." Mr. Bryan was a guest of Colonel W. L. Moody Tvhile in the city. Ho said he has been coming to Galveston every two or three years for nearly twenty years, and each time wishes he might stay longer. MR. BRYAN IN SOUTH CAROLINA Under the auspices of tho Younc Men's Christian Association, William Jennings Bryan will deliver an ad dress in the Columbia opera house this evening. To speak of Mr. Bryan as an or ator is not necessary in Columbia critic, who, hearing him, has not en joyed the experience and wo think there are few who, listening to him & Pe mI?d' nave come awav without a broader and more genernX viewof whatever subject h0 7 cussed One may sharply disagree with him in one or another point of public policy, but there is no intoiu gent and informed lover of his C01 try not ready to say that without his influence during the last quarter of l century that country would have been the worse. u Mr. Bryan has been the steadff fr'end of South Carolina and of the south and he is among old friends? when he is in this capital city for a few hours. There will be and there should be a great throng present this evenine to welcome and to hear this great citizen of the republic. Columbia (S. C.) State, Sept. 22. THE APOSTLE OF PEACE William J. Bryan's lecture at the auditorium last night did not. ah him as a peace-at-any-price man. it aid snow mm as a man who is thor oughly convinced that war comes too high and who is not willing to buy war at what it costs unless it becomes absolutely necessary to have it. It did not show him as the idealist wim believes that war, at this time, can oe entirely eliminated from thfc world. It did show him as the prac tical man who would use care aiul diligence to avoid war. Above all things, it did not show him as a man wh'b is laboring in opposition to the president in the matter of averting war or of sustaining war if it became inevitable. It did show him as a man who has labored and is still lahnHnr ith the president in the interest of peace. "Woodrow Wilson's name and my name!" said Mr. Bryan in con nection with the peace treaties. Woodrow Wilson's wprk and W. J. Bryan's work. That is what it means. Mr. Bryan's utter condemnation of the jingoes must have the hearty commendation pf all thinking people. It is almost unbelievable that Amer ican men should desire war, and yet that is exactly what the severest critics of Mr. Bryan profess. There are two particulars in which Mr. Bryan is doing an inestimable service by his labors. The first is in allaying whatever tendency there may be toward a war fever in the body of tho people. If, by any chance, the public mind should become infested with jingoism, bringing about a gen eral demand for war, the results would bo disastrous. In such a cir cumstance, it would be practically Impossible to keep the country out of war, but, even if war should bo even then averted, the effects of such a state of mind would be almost as bad as war. Mr. Bryan's work Is of the greatest efficiency forestalling the development of that sort of dis ease. The second particular in which his work is of particularly great import ance is in tempering the prepared ness movement. There is no purpose hero to say whether Mr. Bryan is right or wrong in all of his ideas as to national preparedness. .But ouu thing very certain is that there is danger just now of the country's go ing to the extreme on the idea of preparedness. . Possibly we needed arousing, but it is entirely probable that we might be aroused too much. Mr. Bryan is exerting a sobering in fluence. He is not uprooting the idea that a measure of preparation for possible war is necessary, but he is cooling the perfervid enthusiasm or those who would otherwise bo led on to dangerous lengths by the jingoes. Just as Mr. Bryan says, when tno time arrived that a friend may inter pose to settle the quarrel of the bel ligerents in Europe, tho United States will be the friend upon whom tnaj duty will fall. And when the Unitea States undertakes tho performance oi ViiW 'U (to